Social Security Administration Holds Workers Retreat at Arizona Biltmore
Sometimes even bureaucrats need pampering, and what better venue than arguably the most exclusive resort in all of Phoenix -- especially when taxpayers are paying the tab.
On Monday, the Social Security Administration began a three-day retreat for more than 700 employees, from as far away as Guam, at Phoenix's posh Biltmore Hotel.
The glorified vacation, which SSA officials describe as a "training workshop," cost taxpayers roughly $750,000.
"Wait, isn't Social Security running out of money?" asks 25-year-old Tempe fitness instructor Jen Rezaci. "That's ridiculous."
"That is ludicrous," says Christina Meints, a 26-year-old school psychologist in Tempe, "they couldn't have just trained them in a cafeteria or something?" The retreat did hold training sessions during the day on things like stress management. The important question is whether it was shiatsu or yoga. In the evenings, the honored guests enjoyed dinner, dancing, and a casino night. How fitting for those in charge of the nation'ss seemingly doomed Social Security fund. Guess who came up snake eyes? John Q. Public, maybe. Could this be federal government hypocrisy at work? In October, lawmakers, including then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, used executives of the now-federally funded investment group AIG as political punching bags after the "too big to fail" company spent about $400,000, almost half the cost of the SSA's lavish desert departure from duty, on a similar retreat. "Those executives should be fired," Obama said on the campaign trail. Well Mr. Chief Executive; where does the next buck stop? Club Med or Sandals?
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Well let's think about this one for a second here. You stated that people had to come in from as far as Guam for this meeting... someone had to stay in a hotel somewhere. The AZ Biltmore probably sold the grop on a $79 rate which is less than the Government Per Diem, mind you and probably less than the rates in DC at this time of year to have the meeting in a so-called "cafeteria". The banquet dinners were probably at least 30% off the regular banquet pricing or even at Per Diem menu pricing... and yes, people travelling for the government do receive an allotment for dining during their trips. All in all, you need to do some research before posting a ridiculous (and mistake ridden) "article" about a meeting that happened in Phoenix. Your two opinions are from individuals in their mid-twenties who do not have much experience in the business world. Those room rates were taxed and this meeting put some money back into our suffering economy. Do you realize why AZ is in the pits? It's because people aren't supporting the tourism industry, our NUMBER ONE source of revenue.
Posted On: Friday, Jul. 10 2009 @ 12:58PMDear support: You miss the point.
1. President Obama railed against AIG for the same exact thing saying the execs. should be fired.
2. Right now any expenditure of funds has a P.R. function. It's the perception of the thing. Even if it were free you don't stay at a 5 star resort when the country is broke. It's just like when the President went on that infamous date. It wasn't that he did it. It was the obvious hypocracy of it. He had just told Insurance and Auto execs that they can't go to Vegas or the Super Bowl and then he turned right around and went to Vegas and then on a very expensive date with his wife. LEADERSHIP is about showing the way. You can't lead where you won't go.
Yes, President Obama seems to have a double standard, but instead of discouraging valid meetings travel, why don't we encourage President Obama, the media, the public, etc. to consider the true value behind these training meetings. As SupportTourism said, it'd probably cost more to go elsewhere, but its not really about the cost is it? Its about coming to a resort, never mind its 110 degrees outside and the Valley is in the midst of its low season when we have trouble getting visitors to come to our community. We should be thanking them for choosing our community, thanking them for supporting jobs and putting money back into our pockets, all while training their employees the way any successful business would be expected to do.
Posted On: Friday, Jul. 10 2009 @ 3:58PMThere's no excuse for this. Just more government waste! Tourism is no excuse to waste taxpayer money!
Posted On: Sunday, Jul. 12 2009 @ 7:21AMObama and crew ... STOP WASTING MY MONEY!
Posted On: Sunday, Jul. 12 2009 @ 3:30PMPoor journalism…you think not spending money on training is going to fix the problems with the social security system? And then let’s go ahead and slander these people that brought revenue to the people that work at the hotel and the local arizona economy..and how can you say that the biltmore. Did this journalist really conclude that they flew in 700 people from all over while not accounting for the local people that attended in arizona and the people that drove in from out of state..Did this journalist really know how mucht they spent their or how many discounts they received to hold their conference at this resort??..Maybe you should go back to school and learn how to cover a story instead of plaguirizing crappy fox news biased reports..fuckin’ asswipe!!!
Posted On: Sunday, Jul. 12 2009 @ 10:46PMHotel Employee... first of all spell check your comments... second go back to night school and stop working in a hotel... third... it’s the SSA, were not talking about a innovative company... I’m pretty sure nothing has changed in Social Security in 50 years...
I’m just saying these people are spending our tax money for a trip like this? Revenue? It’s going to the owner of the hotel - not you??? Work at the hotel - I sincerely doubt they increased man hours enough to even make someone blink...
Also, as a "hotel employee" I’m sure you have no idea how these things work - I guarantee these guests did not leave the hotel and spend money in "Your" city - not when their being pampered at our expense in their posh hotel.
And one last point about the people that drove - at $.51 a mile - someone who did (let’s say) a 200 mile drive in would be reimbursed an additional $205 (if taken across the 700 people attending) would be an additional $142,000.
I see both perspectives, but as someone who also works in the hotel industry, what I don't think all "non-tourism" employees realize is the impact this has on ALL of us. Yes, the gvt wastes a ton of our money...can someone please tell me why the AIG bonus plans were excepted? The SSA group was booked less than per diem, and, as someone who works on profit/loss in the hotel, I can assue you the hotel made NO money. The ONLY reason for booking it with no profit is to keep banquet servers serving, housekeepers cleaning, front desk agents working. Otherwise we will see even more lay offs than we already have. The key to this is HOW they spent their money...did they spend it on golf and spa and drinks by the pool, than YES that is excessive and a waste of our tax dollars, but if they only paid for the bare minimum it takes to clean a room (with overhead) and pay for boxed/bagged meals, than that is pretty minimum.
Please keep in mind the % of our state revenue is bed tax, provided ONLY based on the nmber of occupied rooms. If we dont fill them, no money goes to OUR city/state's bottom line
As a meeting planner I am absolutely exhausted by the ignorance of the public to realize that meetings are not bad.....
Based on an average per person cost to run a "budget" meeting x the number of days x the location the average per person cost runs about $1200 per person.... so when you say $750K that is an absolutely ideal cost and even lower then the average per person cost that we estimate.
Any department needs training - this notion that everything can be done via a teleconference is simply rediculous. Bringing a group together has many values - just a couple to consider
A) you build a team enviroment where associates from around the world share ideas and work on solutions face to face.
B) you bring money to a local area which employs many associates in hotels, restaurants,etc. This continues down the food chain to the businesses who support these facilities.
If we continue to critisize this industry the impact is far greater then anyone thinks.
One of the posters is correct - the government per diem only allows a certain amount for an overnight accomodation. Food and beverage is also restricted to how much can be spent so this has guidelines. As far as using the Biltmore - if the hotel offers the rate and will support the cost for the food and beverage then there is no reason not to use them..... they are a 4 star property which is allowable.
Killing meetings isnt the answer - bringing people together to bridge over where we are and create solutions for where we are headed is the answer.....
For all the nay sayers - please - tell us what industry you are in so that we can start to target and kill your industry....
Posted On: Wednesday, Jul. 15 2009 @ 7:37AMAs someone who is in the business world, I can tell you that our training meetings at our corporate office, with sandwiches brought in for lunch, are just as productive, if not more so, than meetings held at a luxury resort. This was a ridiculous, unnecessary expense. None of the excuses I've read so far offer any justification for this waste of taxpayers money.
Posted On: Wednesday, Jul. 15 2009 @ 9:24AMMary in California:
Lets not forget their salaries, I'm pretty sure they didn't attend for free.
And why are they allowed to bring family members? They may be able to stay in the room with no extra charge, but they still have to eat and what about their transportation costs?
When you hear that they stayed at a "resort and spa" it sounds extravagant, but if they got the same deal they would have received at a well known inexpensive hotel chain, why not? At least they shopped around. There are plenty of government officials who go to so called conferences and pay the going rates at expensive hotels instead of looking for the best deals.
I don't know if it was really necessary, but I do appreciate that they got the best bang for their buck.
Mary in Culver City
Posted On: Wednesday, Jul. 15 2009 @ 10:46AMAs a person waiting 7 years waiting to get disability, this is outrageous. There stress comes from screwing people over!
Posted On: Wednesday, Jul. 15 2009 @ 7:18PMWHOA! Two wrongs do not make a right! So AIG did it--I hold my government to ahigher standard!
SS made a mistake and overpaid me 5 years ago, now I'm paying it back, even after I've paid income tax on their overpayment.
NO MOTIVATIONAL DANCE will compensate for a lack of simple math skills by the SS employee who made the mistake
Meantime, Obama flies all over the world, forgetting he's the pres of the USA, and we wonder why gov employees fly off to Arizona for a "stress reliever."
I'm going to have to cut my SS payments in half now, because I need a stress reliever, too.
Posted On: Wednesday, Jul. 15 2009 @ 7:39PMWhat a bunch of morons you hotel folks are. you think you got a great deal because they took 3/4 of a million dollars of our money.. remember the Govt has no money, they have to reach right into our pockets and take it from us before they can spend it,... and they spent your and my money on a fucking retreat?? are you sick?? and you think you got a great deal because you made an extra 20 bucks in tips this weekend? I got some ocean front property in Arizona I would like to sell you imbeciles.
Posted On: Wednesday, Jul. 15 2009 @ 10:46PMDeath threats.. you think they got death threats before.. just wait to you see how many they get now! This was the last thing they needed to do was give everyone who is pissed at SSA more of an excuse to hate! This was publicity these morons really didnt need. They should fire the head of the SSA before morning.
Posted On: Wednesday, Jul. 15 2009 @ 10:50PMReality check-do training sessions like this happen all over-yes.
Are they an acceptable part of the budiness community-yes.
Is a 1000 dollars per person a lot for a trip like this-no.
Has this type of "govt waste" been going on for years-yes.
You people who somehow believe that this is a new thing or is Obama-related need to wake up. I am a tax-payer and a govt employee and have been on these types of training trips before. They ARE NOT a vacation by any means. Could the govt (or any private sector business) do it cheaper-of course. But let's not fain disgust over it or whip everyone up in a fake frenzy. The report was a misrepresentation of the truth-at best.
Sometimes in business and yes, in the business of running the government, you have to get face to face with people. Without knowing the exact program and the objectives pertinent to job performance and internal communication, this is not responsible or balanced journalism. Investigate why this program has been going on and evaluate it's effectiveness. Was this done? No. So, because of lazy and inflammatory journalism exploiting the ignorance and sensitivities of the public in a down economy, with very few facts, let's assume that the program is necessary for personnel training, internal communication and retention. $79 is reasonable compared to what they would pay in other cities. Get over yourselves!
Posted On: Thursday, Jul. 16 2009 @ 5:36AMEver heard of tele-conference? Maybe if they would stop using tax payers money for lavish trips.We all might have a a slim chance at getting what we put into it. Most tax payers that the government is taking money from will never be able to leave the state they live in just to visit a relative because we can't afford it. We are being taxed to death now. To pay for all this crap.... Trust me when I say everytime we hear about our tax dollars being spent to support trips like these? Tax payers are gonna be pissed. Where does common sense fit into this picture.How about the government,congress get out of "our pockets" dig in your own and YOU start picking up the tab. WE are in the process of being wiped off the face of the map because of Greed. Robbing the poor to feed the Rich?? I'm going broke....wonder how much money will be available to help people like me when all these taxes suck us dry? What country do the americans run to,to save us? Who is gonna save us? Because we can't save ourselves.
I worked for SSA for 34 years. SSA is an outstanding agency to work for, both professionally and personally. I always did my best to be a good steward of the tax payer's funds (including my own because, yes, I paid FICA also). I did my best to impress this idea on the people I trained and that public service is an honorable career. But I have been over the years very distressed over the spending of those in regional offices. Whether it's travel or new furnishings, etc. I'm sure the funds were earmarked for those things but the local offices need supplies and more resources to better serve the public. I served in several positions and my training was held at our office or in Regional office a few miles away. Which was fine with me.
Posted On: Thursday, Jul. 16 2009 @ 7:33AMMy sister in law applied for SS almost 10 years ago. She was born diabetic and is blind in one eye, loosing sight in the other, and is waiting for a kidney & pancreas transplant. Every time her case comes up, she is denied. So you can understand how I am upset with this wasteful spending to help with SS employee's stress. She has been stressed for years, yet her pleas for help falls on deaf ears. I've been to a couple of her hearings and with all her problems she gets nowhere. Yet let a 21 year old black female come in & say her back hurts, and she's appoved in her first hearing! SS is corrupted all the way to the top!
Posted On: Thursday, Jul. 16 2009 @ 9:07AMJust to be clear. Federal Employees are tax payers too, so if your going to say that it came from YOUR tax Dollars, well, how about saying well, they must have paid for some of their stay too out of their tax dollars, since they pay taxes every year just like everyone else. Those employees going to a conference in AZ has nothing to do with all your sob stories about not getting approved for benefits. Blame the medical system not the government. Doctors are the ones that say if the person is disabled or not, not the managers or representatives of the SSA agency. I would think that the reason why the agency is so hard on disability is because of all the FRAUD that PEOPLE (tax payers) commit. Why dont you guy scream and get pissed about that? Your tax dollars go there too, to the people that commit fraud every year. Oh and BTW, I know for a fact that (as an ex govt empoyee) that the govt pays the lowest prices for rooms and only allots so much for food and travel. If those employees had casino night, it came from their pockets not the agency. Journalism at its best trying to cause an uproar about something government employees pay for as well. I didnt know that government employees were exempt from taxes????
Posted On: Thursday, Jul. 16 2009 @ 12:15PMSorry ... I can't support this training event! Rachel wrote: We should be thanking them for choosing our community, thanking them for supporting jobs and putting money back into our pockets, all while training their employees the way "any successful business" would be expected to do.
That's the point: this is NOT A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS ENTERPRISE! Private industry can choose to spend money on travel for their employees or not. But a government agency has a fudiciary responsible, and especially in these dire days, to execute activities in a cost-effective manner. WHEN YOU'RE NOT PROFITABLE, YOU DON'T SPEND WHAT YOU DON'T HAVE!!!
I spend 20+ years in corporate America ... I have coordinated business / board meetings via "VIDEO CONFERENCING" so members didn't have to travel 200+ miles to get to my location! The company didn't have to worry about per diems, overnight accomodations, rental cars, or flights! This approach was extremely cost effective and excellent use of senior managers time!
There are some wonderful folks working at the SSA. The decision makers are the ones not recognizing the financial crisis this nation faces. What will be the return on the $750K spent for training? Can this educational endeavor be expected to recoup the costs expended. I'm very doubtful!
Posted On: Thursday, Jul. 16 2009 @ 12:53PMI can't believe that Social Security spend all that money for "training". Give me a break, I have applied for disabilty and denied alreay. At this time my son who is disabled is supporting me. What is wrong with this picture? That $750,000 would go along way to help support the people that are actually disabled. Something is wrong with the system.
Posted On: Friday, Jul. 17 2009 @ 4:32PMThere is a wonderful thing called VIDEO CONFERENCE-no travel, no carbon foot print, no scandal & no excuses.
Posted On: Friday, Jul. 17 2009 @ 8:27PMCute-trick stating too many comments posted in to short a time-this is my first. Did you ever hear of VIDEO CONFERENCES- no travel, no so called carbon foot prints, NO KICKING DISABLED AMERICAN CITIZENS, screw the illegals go back where you came from. finally no excuses & no scandals-The Social Security Administrator-pleas esubmit your resignation-your judgement is absent.
Posted On: Friday, Jul. 17 2009 @ 8:32PM* Wade sounds like a terrorist--indirectly suggesting death threats would be appropriate. I hope they are tracking your computer address--you scare me.
*Ann--7 years?! Perhaps you're not disabled, and SSA denied you benefits because you don't qualify. Are you sure SSA is incompetent? Maybe you're just lazy and SSA is saving my FICA dollars for someone that actually qualifies.
*Holding teleconferences would have been great--but imagine the cost the federal government would have had to pay to place teleconference equipment in all the SSA offices. One senator from New York reports it is $24,000 at each site. That would have been worse.
*Maybe we could save money by not having our congressmen and senators fly to DC--think of the savings there.
*It appears that SSA did a great job at getting a bargain. Good for them. Spending less than $1,000 to have someone attend a meeting, with travel and lodging does not sound so bad, except when you multiply it by 700. Ouch.
*I can imagine that SSA and other government agencies will take a hard look at their meetings and conferences and scale back on anything deemed not absolutely necessary.
*The real loser will be Arizona. The home of the AIG meeting, and now the home of the SSA meeting. Can you imagine any other government agency wanting to hold a meeting there, or any business that might come under scrutiny? I feel bad for the hotel and their employees, who may likely join the ranks of the unemployed soon.
*As for the reporter that 'broke' this story. He is no Walter Cronkite! While his story suggests that the attendees at this conference went gambling and brought family members to the conference with them--do you think for one minute that the government paid for the family member's food, or travel expense? No way. If they went gambling at night, it had to be their own time at their expense. Again, there is no way the feds paid. This is just poor journalism, that does Arizona and the American public no favors.
I am a mother of two who receives SS benefits due to father being disabled. I have been trying for 1 yr now to get $410 dollars from SS that they keep. If was for a so called overpayment that did not show on my records.
As for the retreat. They could have done state retreats or just give the managers a day at the spa which would be cheaper & relaxing.
For the black-eye-buck person you need to know that Obama paid for his date with his wife out of his own pocket not out of taxpayers. The Obama's do have their own money that they can spend how they see fit.
Ask a person that is in the SS system & you will see they need to revamp this Government system like all others.
Posted On: Wednesday, Jul. 22 2009 @ 7:51AM
